Throwing Bait (2)

A raucous party was underway.

A terrace overlooked the garden, set apart by a short flight of five or six low steps.

The people gathered on that terrace were impressive.

Violentia, the demonic representative of the demon god Serpens.

Martial Star Proy Rium, presumed to be the representative of the War God Manus.

Giorgio, once called Martial Star’s right-hand tongue, was said to multiply Martial Star’s strength several times when at his side.

Makiara, the Sword Star who had fought Martial Star fiercely on the demon camp’s side and was regarded as a representative capable of facing Martial Star one-on-one.

Then a man stepped onto the terrace.

His forearms looked one and a half times Martial Star’s—an enormous, muscular frame swathed in oddly skinny leather armor for his bulk.

He was Fist Star Yohan, the representative who had been one of the Seven Stars before me—his death had allowed me to take a seat among the Seven Stars.

In a word, Fist Star Yohan was the prototypical golden-child representative: born to a noble house, raised with systematic instruction and high-quality elixirs.

Why someone with such a background became a representative was unclear. Still, in the process of his ascension, two or three mid-tier gods reportedly vied fiercely for him.

Ultimately the god who claimed him was a deity of thunder and lightning; rumor had it Yohan’s fist arts were thunder-based, and in any case he had attached himself to a high-ranking thunder god.

Under such favorable conditions he prospered and eventually succeeded in becoming one of the Seven Stars.

Of course, he and I clashed poorly and he died horribly at my hands, but until then he had been considered someone who, with proper growth, could aim for the rank of Sword Saint.

With that status he built his own faction—people once whispered his force could stand alongside the Rebound Legion and the two powers of the Heavenly Gods and the demon gods.

And so even Fist Star Yohan had taken his place.

The two female representatives who had served Violentia were gone, and the intimidating presence of the six representatives, myself included, filled the terrace.

Surprisingly, it was Giorgio who seemed unshaken. Though not a combat specialist, he showed no sign of intimidation among these heavyweights. When Fist Star tried to interject, Giorgio calmly outlined each planned move.

First, he said, “I don’t think any of you came just to enjoy a party—what reason do you have for seeking me out like this?” He had made the first move.

Three of them noticeably faltered: Violentia, Giorgio, and Fist Star Yohan.

‘Huh? Yohan?’

Yohan… well, he did have his own faction, so he might have come as the head of his group to see me.

The two with composed faces—Proy Rium and Makiara—were the only ones to answer.

“I came to spar with you. I’ve stepped up to challenge the representative who shines as number one in individual merit, though I didn’t expect a party like this.”

“Me too.”

Their replies were immediate. The leaders of the other three groups sounded breezy, as if savoring the others’ hesitation.

I turned my gaze to Proy Rium, who was smiling at me in circles, and asked.

“Do you remember the question I asked you before?”

“‘Do you like the Battlefield of the Gods?’—that question?”

“Yes. Are you the same now as back then?”

“Yes, I’m unchanged.”

Martial Star showed no hesitation. I met his steady gaze and replied seriously.

“Good. Then I promise I will be the first to face you on the opening day of the fifth year. You pick the place.”

Did he grasp the meaning? Proy Rium’s expression hardened briefly, then relaxed into a smile.

“Good!”

Proy Rium knew exactly what I meant.

The life-or-death bond.

He knew I wasn’t proposing a spar but a duel in which we would stake our lives.

This was the second move: either snip the bud before Martial Star grew larger or turn him into a compliant sword.

Martial Star was unpredictable. Having never faced him directly in my previous life, I couldn’t gauge how strong he’d grown.

An uncertain variable.

I needed to eliminate that uncertainty.

I shifted my gaze to Makiara, who looked bewildered and at a loss.

“Martial Star… ah, I call him Martial Star. Martial Star and I have decided like this. Makiara, what will you do?”

“…I’ll think about it.”

Rumor had it the Sword Saint had joined the demon camp for safety in a previous life, so he was cautious and risk-averse—this answer was predictable.

“Do so. Then, what business brings the three of you here?”

But the three could not easily open their mouths.

“Hmm… if you need time to think, take it. I’ll briefly introduce these people to the legion members and return.”

I asked their patience and left under the pretense of introducing Proy Rium and Makiara to the guests.

While I introduced Hazel, Lee Hyo-ju, Naruan, and Arun so the two could meet the legion members, I deliberately kept my eyes off the terrace.

After all, I had a reliable eavesdropping device.

No—I had a representative whose task was eavesdropping.

The start came from Fist Star.

—I have something to discuss with Kim Han privately. So the two of you should step aside for a moment. Of course, once I’m done speaking with him I’ll promptly step away.

—Oh? That’s a good idea. I’ll go first then, you two decide your order. I’ll vacate when I’m done speaking with him.

Violentia readily accepted Fist Star’s suggestion and declared she’d go first. Fist Star’s face twisted instantly.

—Hmph. Of course I should go first. Have you forgotten that the Rebound Legion is in charge of the eastern wall? We have priority.

Giorgio’s words sounded persuasive; for one, Fist Star gnawed his lower lip as if unable to refute it.

But Violentia, unlike Fist Star, replied full of scorn.

—Ah~! The eastern wall! Hoho. The place where someone ran off the morning monsters arrived and nearly let Exorsus fall? Hohoho. My, dear! You have a knack for making people laugh with such polite words?! Hohoho.

Giorgio showed no particular agitation at Violentia’s mocking; he even nodded and calmly expressed his opinion.

—Then shouldn’t we speak first? Given Benialis’s weakened state of mind and body, he made the wrong decision; we should at least convey apologies and thanks.

He certainly spoke well.

On the terrace Giorgio was beginning to seize the initiative, while Proy Rium and Makiara looked completely at ease with the party.

Delicious food and drink, the pleasant divine power generated by Defuro and Defuratio in the garden, and the defensive formations on either side of the gardens.

A party in a mansion garden was the kind where the stronger you were, and the longer it went on, the more intoxicated you became on divine power rather than alcohol.

After watching the two mingle with the members, I walked back toward the terrace.

By the time I returned to the terrace, the three had not reached an agreement.

I tossed a remark to create ripples in their renewed silence.

“You seem to have business to tell me secretly, given your hesitation. Why not speak one by one? Who will go first?”

“I’ll go first…”

“I have something to say to Kim Han who prevented Benialis’s mistake at the eastern wall.”

Giorgio cut off Fist Star Yohan’s quick retort and calmly stated his reason for speaking with me, which even I, as a bystander, found a bit annoying.

Just as Giorgio was about to smile like a victor.

“Hohoho. Since we and the Rebound have exchange ties, wouldn’t it be better for us to go first?”

“Exchange?”

“Exchange?”

Ignoring the two surprised men, Violentia looked straight at me and smiled.

When I nodded, her smile brightened further, as if lighting up the terrace.

She was certainly a beauty who could captivate anyone who wasn’t insane.

“Then we’ll see Violentia first, then Giorgio, then Yohan.”

I announced the order and escorted Violentia to the reception room.

Her steps toward the reception room off the terrace were leisurely. Chin raised and steps light, she wore her victory openly.

All over the order?

I didn’t know Fist Star’s intentions, but Giorgio and Violentia had likely come hoping for an alliance with the top—or at least a friendly relationship.

After all, the full-scale race of killing one another would begin in a month.

From their perspective, meeting the opponent first could, if conditions aligned, secure an alliance and effectively steal opportunities from the groups who had been bumped down the order.

Whatever the reasons or process, as before and going forward the Violentia and Benialis camps would be even more eager to annihilate each other.

I turned to Violentia, gave a sincere smile to the performer who had danced on the stage I had prepared, and offered her a seat.

How would she receive my smile?

What was certain was that Violentia, too, answered with a full smile.

“I hope my forthcoming legion and Kim Han’s legion can become a bit closer.”

“You mean an alliance?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Her confident tone and coquettish gaze—if I didn’t know her past and present, her dizzying charm might have made me drool.

“Hmm… Well. Actually, I thought alliances between legions mattered little—unless they were merged into a single legion.”

“That’s true. So I have a proposal to make.”

As if she’d anticipated my refusal, a meaningful smile deepened at the corner of Violentia’s mouth.

Her proposal came from an unexpected direction.

“How about the two legion leaders becoming husband and wife?”

“…What?”

I almost blurted, ‘What the hell?’ Her suggestion—uttered across the table with a flush—was that shocking.

Kim Han had returned to the terrace from the garden where the party took place.

Martial Star Proy Rium and Sword Saint Makiara, who had been laughing and chatting with the Rebound Legion members for a while, met as if by chance.

Each holding a bottle and a glass, they exchanged quiet words.

“How is he?”

“Strong.”

Makiara’s answer to Proy Rium’s brief question was short.

Proy Rium nodded at Makiara’s reply, then gestured with his chin toward various people as he continued.

“Right? That cold-faced woman who only occasionally smiles, that glamorous woman who smiles without saying a word, even that expressionless, oddly morose woman—none of them are ordinary. It’s almost incomprehensible that the small woman there ranks third. There are people stronger than her.”

“Yes. And above all, he is more remarkable.”

As Makiara evaluated Kim Han, Proy Rium smiled slightly and nodded.

“Heh heh, that’s right. Around Kim Han, things seemed to settle as if time flowed differently.”

“At least he reaches a state where he fully brings his surroundings—his domain—under his control. Entering a space under his rule might mean dying without even knowing how.”

“…Is that so? Has he reached that level?”

“Yes. Will you accept a life-or-death duel with someone like that?”

Makiara’s voice carried unmistakable regret; did he think Proy Rium was courting a humiliating death?

Martial Star’s mouth curved into a fine smile at Makiara’s reproach mixed with concern.

“Heh heh. You don’t know what he was like when I first met him. Back then I was confident I could beat him. He was strong, yes, but I was sure of victory. Yet in less than five years, he and I stand in entirely different places.”

“…!!”

Makiara, whose exasperation at Proy Rium’s confession had shown, froze in surprise.

More than anyone, Makiara knew how strong Proy Rium had become—and that his strength sprang from genius talent and ruthless effort.

Moreover, after encountering a monster early in the fourth year at this manor, Proy Rium had skipped the Monster Wave and trained relentlessly.

It was a startling revelation for Makiara, who begrudgingly had to admit Proy Rium had surpassed him.

“But if more time passes? I can’t be confident I could catch him. Then the outcome is one of two: become his enemy, or submit to him. Honestly, if not now, I don’t think I’d have the courage to ask for a fight. So even if I die, I want to clash. Dying to a strong opponent beats dying of old age, right? Hahaha.”

To Makiara, Proy Rium’s final laugh seemed to purge any lingering regrets in his chest.

After saying that, Proy Rium tipped his bottle and downed it, then turned and left Kim Han’s mansion.

Left alone after Proy Rium departed, Makiara gulped down the wine in his hand.

Why did the same wine taste more sour and astringent than before hearing Proy Rium’s words?